Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo is enjoying quite the season in his fourth year in the big leagues.
After a disappointing 2013, the 24-year-old has rebounded to hit .284 with a National League-leading 25 home runs so far this season. Rizzo was also the winner of the NL’s Final Vote to claim a spot on his first All-Star team earlier in the month.
Those who follow the Cubs have no doubt seen Anthony Rizzo swing at a pitch that actually ended up hitting him at some point this season, like in the above video. Well, it’s become a frequent enough occurrence that his teammates are having a little fun with it.

As MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat shows, T-shirts have been made with the friendly reminder to “Hit the ball before it hits you.”
#Cubs players have new shirts dedicated to Rizzo pic.twitter.com/c6o8BzvDZj
— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) July 30, 2014
Honestly, that’s great.
With a bright future ahead of him, Anthony Rizzo will be known for a lot more than swinging at pitches that hit him when his career is done. For now, these T-shirts will serve as a reminder that it’s an unconventional part of his game for the time being.
H/T Eye On Baseball